Professional Development
How to Enroll in Courses at Duke, UNC and Other Regional Universities NCSU students have the option to take classes in several different regional schools. Enrollment procedures differ by school. The following instructions apply if you want to take a class at Duke, UNC Chapel Hill, UNC Charlotte, or UNC Greensboro. For info on enrolling at other schools, see “Cooperating Raleigh Colleges” and “UNC Online” at http://www.ncsu.edu/registrar/inter-institutional/index.html. # Review course offerings at triangle-area universities: ## UNC schedule of classes: http://registrar.unc.edu/courses/schedule-of-classes/ ### Note from Emily McGuire: The UNC graduate grading systems offers three grades: Fail, Pass, and Pass Plus. I received a Pass in the course I took, and it transfers over as a B. I didn't think it would affect my GPA since it was a transfer grade, but it shows up on my official GPA. ## Duke schedule of classes: http://registrar.duke.edu/courses-classrooms/schedule-classes ### Duke uses an A-F grading system, just like NCSU. ## If you find a class that appeals to you, Google the name of the professor and/or course to find out more ## NOTE: To justify inter-institutional enrollment, you will need to make the case that NCSU isn’t offering a similar course during the same semester. Save yourself some time by confirming this up front with the CRDM Director or Associate Director.. # Discuss your potential schedule with your advisor. Make sure that he or she is on board. # Email the professor to introduce yourself, express your interest in the course, and explain briefly how it fits with your broader research agenda. Be sure to ask explicitly if the prof would be willing to let you enroll. Having an affirmative reply in writing will make inter-institutional enrollment far easier. # Fill out an inter-institutional enrollment form (http://www.ncsu.edu/registrar/inter-institutional/ii/index.html) # Get your advisor to sign the form and certify that no similar course is being offered at NCSU. # Take the form, along with a printed copy of the professor’s email that gives you permission to enroll, to Daniel Corn in the registrar’s office in 100 Harris Hall. If you have questions, his email is daniel_corn@ncsu.edu and his phone number is 919-515-1496. # It may take a while for the course to show up on your schedule. If you need to opt out of the course or have other questions, see http://www.ncsu.edu/registrar/inter-institutional/ii/registration.html Representing yourself professionally online * Managing Your Online Identity * Consider becoming a HASTAC scholar (note: applications due in late September) * How to update your profile on the CRDM website: * Go to the CRDM page. * There is a pair of login fields on the left side under the menu. * If you don't remember your info, click on 'Request new password.' * Type in your email address--probably your NCSU one. * Await an automated response with login info. * Use that to log in, change password when prompted, and then you should see a link to edit your profile. * If not, it's http://crdm.chass.ncsu.edu/user * If you're reading this and don't have a CRDM account to set up a profile info, talk to Ashley Kelly (arkelly2@ncsu.edu) or Brent Simoneaux (bsimone@ncsu.edu), as they're currently running the site. Taking Advantage of Research Opportunities One of the best ways to learn and hone your research and writing skills, as well as get a good start on publishing, is to work with professors through assistantships and directed research courses. Research Assistantships Getting one Sometimes professors will request RAs for help with grant-funded projects, while others may be working on smaller papers for publication. Let the program director know that you’re interested in being considered for a research assistantship and what your research interests are. Previous research experience isn’t usually necessary. If you’re interested in working with a particular professor, you may be able to work out an assignment by talking with the professor and the program director, but most often the program director is able to match students with professors based on mutual interests. There may be some assignments available that are only a few hours per week that can supplement another TA or RA position. Researching for professors As an RA, you will most likely be working on a project designed and directed by the professor. Some projects may result in co-authored articles, even books. Regardless of the ultimate product, RAships are excellent for learning about the research and writing process under the direction of someone who has experience in the field and are perfect for students who feel unsure about their research experience or publishing potential. Assignments can include researching and summarizing literature, collecting and analyzing data, writing and editing drafts, etc., and student involvement can range from basic clerical work to analytical input to full-fledged co-authoring. Directed Research (CRD 893) Getting one You’ll need to talk with the professor you’re interested in working with, as well as your advisor, to get your CRD 893 course approved. You’ll register for the section of the course listed under your professor. You can also designate how many credit hours the course will be, so that one 893 course could stand in for up to two courses. You may need a clear topic and direction for your research before you begin, since the professor must turn in a document describing the purpose and outcomes of the course. Researching with professors Typically, directed research requires more student initiative and involvement, though directed research can also be a good way to continue cooperative work started in research assistantships. Directed research is an excellent alternative to a research assistantship if you have self-directed work that you would like to pursue (with advisement and for credit), and it can be supported by the supervising professor to varying degrees, from co-authoring to overseeing. As with independent studies, however, professors will usually be donating their time and effort to your project. Depending on the terms of the course, you may be expected to produce a completed study or document by the end, but it’s possible that a larger project could be extended over more than one semester. Advice on the Publication Process Conferences and Journals That Have Accepted CRDM Student Work **The CRDMSA website maintains a list of conferences and journals relevant to CRDM, but these have not necessarily accepted student work. Journals: * Enculturation * Technoculture * Kairos * Technical Communication Quarterly * Theory, Culture & Society * Teorie Vedy/Theory of Science * Rhetoric, Professional Communication, and Globalization * Journal of Health Communication * Health Communication * Environmental Communication * Communication Monographs * First Monday * Communication Currents * Technical Writing and Communication * Journal of Gaming and Virtual Worlds * Computers and Composition * Present Tense * POROI * Journal of Business and Technical Communication * Visual Communication Quarterly * Media History * International Journal of E-Services and Mobile Applications Conferences: * Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC) * National Communication Association (NCA) * Computers and Writing * Society for Literature, Science, and the Arts * Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy * Annual Meeting of the Society for Social Studies of Science * Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR) * Carolina Writing Program Administrators Conference * HASTAC * Southern States Communication Association Conference * Association of Teachers of Technical Writing (ATTW) * SIGDOC * ISSOTL * CRDM Symposium * NC Symposium on Teaching Writing * NCSU AEGS * Society for Cinema and Media Studies * Cultural Studies Association * Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Comm (AEJMC) * National Conference on Health Communication * Marketing and Media * Southwest-Texas Pop Culture Association * Council for Programs in Technical and Scientific Communication (CPTSC) * Rhetoric Society of America (RSA) Carolina Rhetoric Conference * Professional Listservs * WPA-List * GWPA-List * TechRhet * H-Rhetor * CRTNET * AIR-L * ATTW * CWPA-L R.A. and T.A. Assignments First year students are often assigned to teach Public Speaking (COM 110) or Academic Writing and Research (ENG 101) depending on previous educational background. If interested in teaching other upper level courses, this interest should be shared and discussed with the CRDM program director. Some courses may require a semester of shadowing in preparation for teaching. The list below reflects TA assignments that recent CRDM students have had: * COM 110: Public Speaking * COM 112: Interpersonal Communication * COM 257: Media History and Theory * COM 267: Electronic Media Writing: Theory and Practice * COM 307: Digital Audio Production * COM 357: Digital Video Production * COM 367: Multimedia Production * COM 386: Quantitative Communication Research Methods * COM 417: Race and Communication * COM 427: Game Studies * COM 441: Ethical Issues in Communication * COM 467: Gender, Sexuality, and Media * ENG 100: Introduction to Academic Writing * ENG 101: Academic Writing and Research * ENG 282: Introduction to Film * ENG 292: Writing About Film * ENG 314: Technical Document Design and Editing * ENG 317: Designing Web Communication * ENG 323: Writing in the Rhetorical Tradition * ENG 331: Communication for Engineering and Technology * ENG 333: Communication for Science and Research * ENG 422: Writing Theory and the Writing Process * ENG 425: Analysis of Scientific and Technical Writing * ENG 426: Analyzing Style * IP 295: Introduction to Humanities Physical Computing * STS 214: Introduction to Science, Technology, and Society * Graduate Assistant Director of the First-Year Writing Program * ENG/COM 395: Studies in Rhetoric and Digital Media (This is a customizable course reserved for CRDM students, typically beyond their second year, and selected competitively.) Recent topics have included: * Games and Rhetoric * Media + Literacy + Sexuality * Soundful Writing * Code, Computation and Rhetoric * Digital Satire * Writing in/around Games * Wikipedia, Information, and the Collaborative Construction of Knowledge Professional Development Programs in the Graduate School The Preparing Future Leaders program and Thesis and Dissertation Support Services (directed by CRDM alumna Dr. Meagan Kittle Autry) offer a number of seminars and workshops aimed toward facilitating graduate student success both during and after graduate school. As of the 2013-2014 academic year, PFL covers three topical areas: responsible conduct of research, fundamentals in teaching, and career skills. PFL registration typically opens the first day of classes each semester (for events prior to fall break or spring break) and then again October 1 or March 1. Register for PFL events here: go.ncsu.edu/pflevents PFL also offers a number of on-demand seminars that are available 24/7 via moodle. View all on-demand workshops here: http://www.ncsu.edu/grad/preparing-future-leaders/on-demand/ PFL offers a number of programs with greater and lesser degrees of commitment. Organized (roughly speaking) by level of commitment and difficulty (low to high), they are: * Certificate of Accomplishment in Teaching ** This program has been completed by several CRDM students in the past, and fits well with curriculum requirements for CRD 704 * Mentoring and Teaching Practicum * Featuring Scientists & Engineers in the Writing Classroom * Preparing the Professoriate (includes a small stipend, applications taken in March for the following academic year) * PFL Ambassadors (includes small stipend; invitation only) ** Current CRDM ambassadors: Elizabeth Johnson-Young and Molly Hartzog Storment ** If you are interested in becoming a PFL ambassador, contact Elizabeth or Molly and they can recommend you for the following year Visit the PFL website to see application dates and specific requirements for each program. Advice for International Students on Professional Development For sponsored –J visa– students: If you want to teach, you’ll have to insist. As an international student it will look that you are not allowed to engage in teaching positions, but there are opportunities. Sometimes you can start by “mirroring” a CRDM or COM faculty member and, if you keep pushing it, you can get your own class. You can also start by asking a professor to let you do a guest lecture in one of their courses. If you'd like to do an internship during the summer, be very careful in looking for those that accept international students. If you are on a J visa you should not have any problem, you will have plenty of chances to get involved in a remunerated internship without any issues, you just have to let your sponsor know – and they'll try to subtract your internship payment from your scholarship, but you can send them a formal letter and argue why they should not deduct the money. Those on F visas have to be more cautious in looking for internships that accept international students, the ones available for F visas do not offer any wage, unless you work within an academic context. Deadlines for competitive internships are usually on November / December of the previous year. Plan ahead. Look at the multicultural section of the NCSU's organizations –http://ncsu.orgsync.com– to join a regional association. Get in contact with one you are interested in and subscribe to their mailing list. Usually these groups organize gatherings, workshops and some even invite to professional seminars and conferences. Get in contact with researchers from your own country and with scholars working on similar subjects as you. If you do this early in the Ph.D. there is a possibility that by the end of the program you will have a network that can help you get a job when you graduate. Do not be afraid to get involved in professional development courses and workshops –like the ones organized by PFL–, you don't have to spend all your Ph.D. in the safe zone provided by CRDM, be bold, people in the wild will treat you well.